IN the local theatre scene, playwrights are few and far between. It’s bad enough that we mount poor adaptations of international plays, but when it comes to original, local content, we are frightfully bereft of any new material.
It’s difficult to explain this dreary scenario. It could be because decision-makers don’t yet see the value of local playwrights in making Malaysia truly Malaysia, or perhaps we have never had a tradition of writing in this country. Or perhaps Malaysian writers are just plain lazy.